


small light

by rainbeep



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Minor Character Death, im sorry i didn't like you as a child rick ...., no beta i'm a coward, rick trying to grieve despite having to Hold It Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 08:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbeep/pseuds/rainbeep
Summary: "Does it - " she heard Rick inhale, a shaky attempt at recollecting his broken pieces, "does it get any easier?"Claire remembers what it's like to lose a mother. Inspired by Sejeong's "Tunnel".
Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Popuri (Harvest Moon), Claire the Farmer/Rick (Harvest Moon)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	small light

It was autumn when she passed, creeping onto the edges of winter, the wind chilling and the leaves crunchy underfoot. Popuri had found her, gone in her sleep, but it had been Rick who had reached out to Carter and Trent.

He had prepared for her to be buried, anchoring himself in work at the ranch. He had even drawn up a letter to their father, telling him to come home, that his search had been in vain - but that had gotten crumpled and thrown into the fire.

Rick couldn’t afford to be upset. He couldn’t afford to be angry, because if he let himself feel anything, he would shatter. He didn’t have the same luxuries as Popuri, who had wailed and sobbed, finding solace in the next door farmer’s embrace.

He couldn’t afford any of it, even when Claire’s watering eyes had met his over the top of his sister’s head. 

It was just a few days later when Lilla was buried, the church bustling with what few villagers the town had. They had come and laid flowers, delivering meals to the siblings at their farm. But it was Claire who stayed the longest, even as Popuri fell into a fitful sleep on their couch, too exhausted from her grief to truly rest.

“It’s hard,” the farmer murmured, smoothing her hand over the smaller woman’s hair, “losing someone … you didn’t think you could lose.”

He leaned forward, removing his glasses and tucking them into his apron pocket. He covered his face with his hands.

"Does it - " she heard Rick inhale, a shaky attempt at recollecting his broken pieces, "does it get any easier?"

Claire wished she could say yes, that the pain of losing someone would ebb one day and simply disappear. But it didn't. Her hand ghosted over his thigh, one calloused palm finding Rick's.

"It's - … kind of like a broken bone. It hurts for a while, when it's new and healing, but - … it never really is the same. I still - … it still hurts on bad days." Her fingers wove into his, ivy up a crumbling house, an attempt at holding him together. Claire drew the back of his hand up to press her lips to his knuckles.

“Maybe not today,” she murmured against his skin, “but - … soon.”

“Soon,” he replied, wiping his eyes.

"I promise."


End file.
